Ishida Europe (United Kingdom) - Press Release: Covid-19 Business Situation Update 9th April 2020.

The business situation across EMEA seems to have settled down into respecting the protective measures for us all, while providing the vital food supply needed to sustain the critical demand. I can continue to report that our plans are holding through the dedication of everyone involved and determination to overcome various operating issues that occur daily.

We have been operating our split shift system in production for several weeks now and have continued right up to Good Friday. In the UK and in some other regions, we will now be taking the four-day weekend to give everyone a well-earned break. Out of hours emergency breakdown and critical parts dispatch will be operational as normal. We will then return on Tuesday 14th April to pick up where we left off. This long weekend will have been taken into account in any customer commitments agreed with you all, so you should not notice the impact of this. Please note, we have been advised by our parts courier service that due to the closure of several international shipping routes, there might be some delays in the supply of spare parts. We will therefore work with them to minimise any delays and inform all impacted customers.

Through the media recently, you will have heard that Japan has implemented a state of emergency in seven prefectures. Kyoto and Shiga, where our Japanese headquarters and manufacturing sites are located, are not one of those prefectures but as a responsible employer, Ishida Japan have assessed the situation and proactively applied sensible measures to protect the employees and the supply of machines and services. The steps taken are similar to our own as we have been sharing experiences and solutions.  

Looking at the order intake during this crisis, can I thank you, our loyal customers, for your faith in us and continuing to invest in our equipment and solutions. We will do our very best to deliver on these despite the current difficulties.

Dave Tiso, Managing Director, Ishida Europe ltd.